Friday, April 29, 2011

Four Democrat Senators side with the Tea Party

The "unbiased" media may still be calling the Tea Party "radical" or "extremist" but the Washington Post reports today that four Democratic Senators have broken from the White House and are asking for deficit reduction to be attached to any measure to raise the US debt ceiling:

The push-back has come in recent days from Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a freshman who is running for reelection next year. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) told constituents during the Easter recess that he would not vote to lift the debt limit without a “real and meaningful commitment to debt reduction.”

Even Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), generally a stalwart White House ally, is undecided on the issue and is “hopeful” that a debt-ceiling bill can be attached to a measure to cut the federal deficit, said her spokesman, Linden Zakula. Klobuchar is also up for reelection next year.

The Obama White House responded by doubling down on its call for more debt:

The White House has condemned efforts to attach additional measures to the debt-ceiling issue. Press secretary Jay Carney has called it “a dangerous, risky idea to hold hostage . . . a vote on raising the debt ceiling to any other piece of legislation.”

The Democrats are likely not breaking with Obama because of a greater understanding of economics or a concern for the countries future generations. It is more likely because they are reading the polls:

Just 16 percent of Americans favor lifting the debt ceiling, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC survey published this month. Nearly six in 10 independents opposed it. Democrats were divided, with nearly half saying they did not know enough to have an opinion.